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NESREA seals company over violation of environmental laws in Kano

Mustapha USMAN
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NESREA seals company over violation of environmental laws in Kano

THE National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has sealed a Kano-based company for violating environmental laws.

The company, Aspira Nigeria Limited located along Hadejia Road in Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state, was sealed by the North West Zonal Director, Mudaishir Raheem and his team on Friday, April 28, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

One of the offences alleged to to have been committed by the company is the disposal of waste and untreated effluents into the environment.

“Today, we have come to seal this company for not complying with some relevant environmental laws, such as the disposal of their waste and untreated effluents.

“We are expected to manage the environment and not to destroy it.

“If we must site a company, we are expected to follow and comply with relevant laws put in place to protect the integrity of the environment,” Raheem said.

According to Raheem, the company, Aspira, was issued compliance notice thrice but the facility owners failed to comply.

“We have issued compliance notice thrice; also, we issued two abatement notices as a warning, but the facility owners failed to comply and we have no option than to apply the law.”

The NESREA zonal director further explained that the company was expected to correct the anomalies before it can be unsealed.

Raheem said there was non-availability of a Functional Effluent Treatment Plant in the company and as such it discharged wastewater into the environment.

“Parameters such as pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Total Dissolved Solids, Turbidity, Appearance were not within NESREA Permissible Standards during the In-Situ Analysis of the Wastewater at the outlet of the Company,” he stressed.

The NESREA official noted that all the offences constituted a threat to the environment (water bodies, land, neighbouring communities).

He added that the enforcement (sealing) exercise was necessitated by the company’s non-compliance with the timeline on the Abatement Notice issued on April 19, 2023.

Anambra govt warns residents against flooding, heavy rainfall

Beloved JOHN
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Anambra govt warns residents against flooding, heavy rainfall

RESIDENTS of Anambra State have been warned against the impending flooding and intense rainfalls predicted by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).

The state government has advised that residents protect all their properties, especially household and essential belongings.

In a statement on Friday, April 28, the state Commissioner for Information, Paul Nwosu, said residents should avoid constructing structures on water channels and clogging drainages.

He urged residents to clear the gutters and drainages in their vicinities and ensure that no one “disposes trash without moving to higher ground before the flood becomes neck deep”.

“Make concrete plans to secure your household properties and essential belongings as much as possible before the flood sets in.

“Plan to get your family and the aged, the sick, pregnant women, infants and children evacuated well on time to safety nets (Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps provided by the Anambra State Government (ANSG) to avoid preventable loss of lives. Timely evacuation is key.

“De-silting of water channels should be done continuously as a huge amount of silt is deposited in water channels after rainfall; people should stop constructing in water plains and across water channels,” the statement said.

Anambra is one of the states predicted to experience heavy flooding in 2023.

The 2023 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction and Annual Flood Outlook released by NiMet and a report by the Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency (NHSA) both predicted that there will be high rainfall and flooding across the country this year.

The report identified Adamawa, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Edo, Gombe and Imo as states with a high risk of flooding.

Anambra State was among the states that battled massive flooding in 2022. Over 300 communities in six local government areas in the state were submerged for weeks.

According to NiMET’s 2023 prediction, the flood risk areas in Anambra include Ogbaru, Ayamelum, Anambra East, Anambra West, Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Awka North, Idemili South, Ekwusigo and Ihiala LGAs.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has affirmed that the prediction is about a hundred per cent accurate.

The agency’s spokesperson Manzo Ezekiel said the predictions made in the reports are already beginning to play out, and advised that the states should act urgently.

“NiMET predicted an early onset of rain, and we have seen the early onset of rain. There would be flooding unless there are changes by God or any other factor. The forecast should be taken seriously, and those residing in prone areas should begin to relocate to high grounds.”

Court sends teenager to prison for raising fake fire alarm

Bankole ABE
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Court sends teenager to prison for raising fake fire alarm

A MAGISTRATE court in Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos State, has sentenced a teenager, Solomon Uzuokwu, to one-month imprisonment for sending a fake fire alarm to firefighters.

Uzuokwu was found guilty of two charges, including disturbing the peace and calling a fake fire emergency.

Magistrate Bambo Odueke gave the ruling with an option of a fine and a month of community service campaign against fake calls within the state.

However, after entering a guilty plea, the defendant accepted the option of a fine.

A statement released on Friday, April 28, signed by the Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Agboola Ololade, on behalf of the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, noted that the decision was informed by the court’s recognition of the “honourable nature of the firefighting profession and the efficient service delivery of the Agency, both of which necessitated widespread support”.

Adeseye, head of the Lagos Fire and Rescue Service, also expressed her happiness at the prompt prosecution of the case as a warning to other misinformed residents who place fictitious calls and to misinform emergency personnel.

“Adeseye used the occasion to note the seeming reduction in false calls since the advent of the case and pledged to work with the culprit in using his community service as another medium to reach a large audience among other efforts championed by the Agency,” the statement added.

The Lagos State government arraigned Uzuokwu for offences relating to making hoax calls to fire emergency responders.

Ololade said the offence was punishable under the Lagos State Fire Service law and Command and Control Centre law 2013.

The 18 years old Solomon, according to the statement, allegedly called the emergency line of the Fire Service on Friday, April 14, 2023, at 5:35 pm from Harmony Estate in the Ajah area of the state and reported a fire emergency within the estate leading to the activation of emergency processes and eventual dispatch of the fire trucks from Lekki Phase II Fire Service station.

“On arrival, it was discovered that there was no fire incident in the estate. Because of the frequency of such calls in the past, the estate security helped in the investigation, which led to the arrest of the notorious false caller.”

Consequently, the culprit was arraigned at Ogba Magistrate on April 19, before his subsequent conviction.

Pulitzer Center offers fellowships to support AI accountability stories

Blessing OTOIBHI
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Pulitzer Center offers fellowships to support AI accountability stories

THE Pulitzer Center is inviting applications for its AI Accountability Fellowships.

The program seeks to support journalists working on AI (artificial intelligence) accountability stories that examine governments’ and corporations’ uses of predictive and surveillance technologies to guide decisions in policing, medicine, social welfare, criminal justice system, hiring, and more.

Interested journalists must apply for a reporting project they wish to pursue during their fellowship.

Enterprise and accountability projects that use a variety of approaches — from data analysis to records requests, and shoe-leather reporting — and delve into the real-world impact of algorithms on policy, individuals, and communities are preferred.

This year, the program seeks to support at least one project that examines the intersection of AI and conflict, war and peace.

The 10-month fellowships are remote, beginning in September, and continuing until July, 2024.

Journalists can be based anywhere.

Staff and freelance journalists can participate in a fellowship and receive up to US$20,000 to pursue a reporting project.

The deadline for the submission of the application is July 1, 2023. Interested applicants can apply here.

Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom offers shoot grant program

Blessing OTOIBHI
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Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom offers shoot grant program

THE Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom and photographer Sergey Ponomarev are accepting applications for the SHOOT grant program, created to support documentary photographers and videographers who were forced to leave their countries.

The organisers say they are interested in documentary photography and video projects about the war in Ukraine and its consequences, which are already underway, but the producers do not have enough resources to complete them.

Preference will be given to projects that present a fresh look and can potentially attract the attention of a worldwide audience.

The maximum grant amount is USD$7,000.

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The authors of winning projects will also receive mentorship support.

Documentary photographers and videographers living in exile can apply for this grant.

The deadline for the submission of the application is May 15, 2023. Interested applicants can apply here.

Nigerian woman faces trial after starving 3-year-old son to death

Oghenekevwe UCHECHUKWU
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Nigerian woman faces trial after starving 3-year-old son to death

A NIGERIAN woman, Olabisi Abubakar, 42, from Cardiff, is facing trial in the United Kingdom for two counts of manslaughter and child cruelty resulting in the death of her three-year-old son, Taiwo Abubakar.

Olabisi, a devout Pentecostal Christian with deep religious beliefs, allegedly starved her son to death when she made him join her in a fast during the coronavirus pandemic that struck in 2020.

According to the Mail Online, Olabisi who is an asylum seeker, claimed “she had locked herself away” during the crisis out of fear of contracting the virus and because of her immigration status.

The police were called to rescue the Nigerian after a friend reportedly raised concerns over her welfare, and had to forcefully gain entrance into her residence in the Cathays area on June 29, 2020.

Prosecutors told the Crown Court of Cardiff that Olabisi was discovered lying on a sofa bed next to her dead son, thin, malnourished and dehydrated.

During court proceedings, a pathologist made it known that Taiwo had died from malnutrition and dehydration.

The Police also informed the court that the woman had been detained in a hospital where she was receiving medical treatment for paranoid schizophrenia, a pattern of behavior where a person feels distrustful and suspicious of other people and acts accordingly.

Delusions, hallucinations, difficulty thinking clearly, withdrawal from family and friends and a significant decline in self-care are some of the symptoms that can involve paranoia.

Prosecutors established that she caused her young son to fast, depriving him of both food and water, due to fears of the coronavirus pandemic and personal pressures.

Olabisi, however, repeatedly denied the allegation, saying that children should not be made to fast until they turn 12.

She reportedly told the Police that she had fallen asleep on June 26, with the belief she was in heaven before she was brought back to life when they arrived in the company of her neighbour.

“Olabisi Abubakar said she couldn’t explain what happened to her. She was asleep on the bed and that is what she remembered last. She said she believed she was being punished by God,” the prosecuting lawyer Peter Donnison said.

The defence counsel told the court that it is not disputed that Olabisi, who was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to London in 2011, neglected her son but the issue was her state of mind at the time.

As Olabisi’s trial continues, the court will have to decide whether Olabisi may have been insane, which would make her not guilty of charges against her by reason of insanity.

If the court finds that she was mentally ill at the time, she could be freed and allowed to go home upon the conclusion of the case.

Adegoke: Court reserves verdict in murder trial against Adedoyin, six others

Vincent Ufuoma
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Adegoke: Court reserves verdict in murder trial against Adedoyin, six others

OSUN State Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Ojo, has reserved judgment in the murder case against the owner of Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, Rahman Adedoyin, and six of his workers.

Adedoyin and his workers were docked over the alleged murder of Timothy Adegoke, a postgraduate student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife.

The deceased was declared missing after lodging in the hotel in November 2021.

Adegoke’s body was later found in a shallow grave along Old Ede Road in the town by the Police and it was later discovered that he was allegedly killed at Hilton Hotel in Ile-Ife. Following the discovery, Adedoyin and his workers were docked on 18 counts bordering on murder, conspiracy, and oath of secrecy, among others.

At the resumed hearing Thursday, April 27, the prosecuting counsel, Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), adopted his written address and reply on the point of law already before the court.

Falana insisted that the deceased was killed and his body dumped in the bush.

He added that those involved in the incident attempted to obliterate the act and took an oath of secrecy to conceal the crime.

However, counsel to Adedoyin, Yusuf Alli, (SAN), asked the court to discharge and acquit Adedoyin, saying no evidence linked him to the said murder.

He said the only connection Adedoyin had with the matter is simply because he is the owner of the hotel where the said death occurred.

Also, counsel to the 2nd, 4th and 5th defendants, Abdulrasheed Muritala, (SAN), said there was no direct evidence linking his clients to the murder.

According to him, the entire case was based on suspicion, hence, he urged the court to discharge his clients on charges against them.

Similarly, lawyers of the other defendants urged the court to discharge their clients because the evidence against them was based on speculation.

During the hearing, the defence lawyers told the court that the evidence before it was based on circumstantial evidence, which is not enough to convict the defendants.

The defence team argued that the prosecution failed to establish a clear link between the defendants and the alleged crime.

They urged the court to discharge and acquit the defendants.

In her ruling on Thursday, April 27, Justice Ojo disclosed that judgment on arguments on fiat will be delivered alongside the final judgment on the case, adding that her verdict will be pronounced in a month from yesterday.

She noted that the court had considered all the arguments of the prosecution and the defence and would give its ruling based on the facts before it.

She urged both parties to be patient and wait for the judgment of the court.

Adegoke’s murder in 2021 attracted widespread criticism from civil rights groups, including the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), who demanded justice to be served on his killers.

An autopsy report had linked his death to intense haemorrhage (bleeding) due to ‘severe traumatic injuries’.

Although the autopsy could not pin down the actual cause of his death because of his body’s ‘advanced decomposition’ before the inquest was done, the pathologist said there was no natural disease in the deceased’s body to cause or accelerate death or to cause him to collapse (and die).

He was buried amid tears in January 2022.

Adegoke was until his death, a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) student at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Why 2023 national population census may be postponed — NPC

Theophilus ADEDOKUN
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Why 2023 national population census may be postponed — NPC

THE 2023 Census Manager and Director, National Population Census (NPC), Inuwa Jalingo has said there is a probability that the exercise may be postponed.

Speaking on Channels TV on Friday, April 28, Jalingo said validation on building numbering and counting had not been duly done to enable a credible census.

The 2023 census manager also stressed that there are a series of technical problems and issues that need to be fixed before the Commission proceeds to conduct the exercise.

“The actual counting is supposed to begin on the third of May but before that we have what we call building numbering and counting which we have not done.

“On the technical processes, before you do a census that is persons enumerations, we have what we call daily numbering and also listing, we have all information of the building and the enumeration and demarcation of the buildings.

“Some buildings have been stocked up in so many places and some have been demolished, so we need to update some of the information on our database and be ready for the census and we also need to identify the building on our database and that will take seven days of training with five days field work and about two to three days of validation to ensure that there is consistency in the data.”

According to Jalingo, the counting and numbering of households and buildings is a standard framework and procedure to achieve a credible census.

“There is a global process that we need to follow to ensure that we actualize a credible census.”

He noted that the chairman of the National Population Commission will address Nigerians on further developments on the census.

“By the end of today the Commission wil have a high level consultation,and the chairman we communicate with Nigerians.

“There is a leadership in the country and census is a very good national assignment that require engagement at the highest level of governance and I think except that is done a clear message would be sent to Nigerian.”

The ICIR earlier reported that the National Population Commission (NPC) postponed a training programme organised for enumerators and supervisors involved in the 2023 population census.

The training, which the NPC slated for April 13, was postponed indefinitely.

However, the Commission assured that the development would not affect the conduct of the population and housing census scheduled to hold from May 3 to 7.

First census after 17 years

The 2023 national population census will be the first in Nigeria in 17 years.

The census, scheduled be conducted in May, according to the NPC, will meet global best standards.

Nigeria’s estimated population is more than 200 million, and the United Nations expects that to double by 2050. That would make Nigeria the world’s third most populous country, overtaking the United States.

The census had been earlier scheduled for March 29 but was postponed due to the postponement of the gubernatorial and state assembly elections.

According to the NPC, the census will be conducted digitally. This, according to the Commission, is in line with the United Nations (UN) recommendations.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) recently approved N2.8 billion for the Commission to procure software to be used for the conduct of the exercise.

APC dismisses reports on 10th NASS leadership, says no zoning yet

Vincent Ufuoma
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APC dismisses reports on 10th NASS leadership, says no zoning yet

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has debunked reports circulating on social media regarding zoning arrangements for leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly.

The party stated that it has not yet made any decisions on the matter and will communicate its position through its official information channels.

APC spokesperson, Felix Morka, who issued the debunked the reports in a statement on Thursday, April 27, urged the public to disregard the information as it did not originate from the party.

He stressed that the party was yet to zone any leadership positions for the 10th National Assembly.

Multiple online reports had it yesterday that the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, had in a meeting with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and some National Assembly members, rejected proposals for the Senate Presidency to be zoned to the South-South of the country.

Some of the reports stated that the former Lagos state governor expressed his preference for having the number three office zoned to the South and not to any particular zone.

Tinubu, according to the reports, argued that since APC members stood for the zoning of the presidency to the South and not to any of the three zones in the area, which produced him as presidential candidate and President-elect, it was wrong to propose zoning the post of Senate President to only the South-South.

He was said to have suggested that zoning the post to the South would give all qualified aspirants from the South-East and South-South the opportunity to participate in a fair contest, just like APC delegates picked the presidential candidate of the party prior to the election.

According to the reports, the President-elect emphasised his preference for fairness, equity, religion and regional balancing as his benchmark for the constitution of the National Assembly leadership.

Those eyeing the position include Jibrin Barau (Kano North); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom North-West); Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North); Abdul-Aziz Yari (Zamfara West); Sani Musa (Niger East); Ali Ndume (Borno South), Osita Izunaso (Imo West), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi South) and Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North).

Parts of the statement released by Morka, titled, ‘APC has yet to zone 10th National Assembly leadership positions, read, “The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to versions of zoning arrangements for the 10th National Assembly leadership positions in circulation in sections of social media. The information did not emanate from the Party and should be disregarded.

“To be clear, the Party has yet to zone positions of leadership of the 10th National Assembly. Any decisions made in that regard will be duly communicated via the Party’s official information channels.”

Meanwhile, the former Minster for Information and leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Edwin Clark, has called on Tinubu and his party to zone the Senate presidency to the South-South in the interest of equity and fairness.

NPC commissioner kidnapped by gunmen in Rivers regains freedom

Vincent Ufuoma
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NPC commissioner kidnapped by gunmen in Rivers regains freedom

THE kidnapped Federal Commissioner of the National Population Commission (NPC), Gloria Izonfuo, has been freed after five days in captivity.

The former Bayelsa State Head of Service was taken by gunmen at the Ogbakiri junction in Emuoha Local Government Area of Rivers State last Sunday.

Izonfuo was kidnapped alongside her driver and maid, while returning from a trip to Brass, Bayelsa State.

The Rivers State Police Command Spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed Izonfuo’s release on Friday, April 28.

Iringe-Koko stated that an investigation is still ongoing to apprehend the kidnappers and bring them to justice.

However, she did not confirm if Izonfuo’s driver and maid were freed alongside her.

Although her kidnapper had demanded for a N500 million ransom, the police spokesperson did not confirm if the money was paid before her release.

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Okey Wali, who was kidnapped two weeks ago is still unknown.

Wali was kidnapped in the Obiri-Kwere axis of the East-West Road, near Port Harcourt and his kidnappers are yet to contact his family.

The gunmen killed his driver and another aide before abducting him.

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